Built in 1818, this classic antebellum home in Natchez, MS, is the perfect setting for lazy Sunday afternoons spent sipping mint juleps on the porch and watching ships cruise by on the Mississippi River.
Listed for just under $2 million, The Briars spans 10,000 square feet and has seven bedrooms. And a schoolhouse.
The main residence is an example of Southern grandeur, with an 80-foot covered porch set behind large columns.
The home's interior appears to be a step back in time, as each room offers a glimpse of centuries past. The large parlor has twin staircases, 19th-century chandeliers, and a row of archways that lend a sense of opulence.
In the formal dining room, the wainscoting provides visual balance to the floral wallpaper. There's also a wood-burning fireplace and an antique chandelier.
The home has been modernized a bit, but nothing feels out of touch with the home's history. The back of the home, which originally had plantation shutters, is now enclosed in glass. Two large rooms were added to provide more living space.
"It is a great example of adaptive reuse," says listing agent Ernesto Caldeira. "The designers did a terrific job."
Outside, the home has manicured gardens and pathways, kept cool by large oak trees. Not far from the main house is a quaint, 1800s schoolhouse.
"It is said to contain antique wood floors and beams recycled from flatboats that arrived in Natchez in the 18th century," says Caldeira. Today, the one-room building has been converted into a bedroom.
And the home has something that many other Southern plantations can't claim: a view. "There are very few houses on the Mississippi where you can actually see the river. The Briars has a perfect view from the porch," says Caldeira.
The home also has ties to historical figures in the South.
"Originally, the Howell family, a prominent family with ties to the South, were living at The Briars. It was there, in 1845, where Jefferson Davis married Varina Howell," says Caldeira.
The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been part of the Natchez Pilgrimage Garden Club tour for decades.
Currently, the home is a bed-and-breakfast and wedding venue. It could easily be converted into a private residence again.
"The house has been pretty lucky. All the way along it has been lived in and cared for," says Caldeira.